Chapter 39. If you love me, kiss me
The girl ignored Xie Fei. She lowered her head again and continued writing with the thin bamboo in her hand. Xie Fei could only see her long curly eyelashes fluttering up and down like two rows of fans.
It's so beautiful! Xie Fei couldn't help but admire it in his heart.
"Why are you here alone? All the children in the orphanage are going to share their gifts, aren't you going?"
“…”
"Today's gifts are great. There are cute dolls, colorful pens, delicious snacks, pretty skirts...all things girls like. Are you really not going?"
“…”
She acted as if she didn't hear anything and just kept writing numbers on the ground.
Xie Fei was not really good at finding topics to talk about. He looked at the little girl who kept writing "Seventeen" crookedly on the ground, paused, and asked, pretending to be ignorant: "Is Seventeen your name?"
The little girl paused while writing, and after a while, she pursed her lips and shook her head slightly.
Xie Fei smiled softly, picked up a small bamboo from the side, and imitated her to write his name on the ground: "My name is Xie Fei, what's your name?"
The little girl stared at his every move in a daze. Soon, two unfamiliar words appeared on the ground. Unlike the numbers that were crawling like earthworms, those were two neat and beautiful words. Her eyes were immediately attracted. After a while, she raised her head and looked straight at Xie Fei.
There is curiosity, shock, and a bit of shame.
Xie Fei looked into her eyes again. They were really beautiful, like shining black gems, clear and clean. She had the innocence of a little girl, but also the precocity and melancholy of a little adult.
"You know, it's not very useful to practice writing on the ground with a small bamboo stick, because it's too soft and thin, and it's not good for the development of your fingers. And your pen-holding posture is also wrong, which can easily lead to deformation of the finger bones." Xie Fei smiled and flicked the small bamboo stick gently, then said, "If you want to write well, you need to practice with a pen."
The little girl's pretty eyes flickered, then she lowered her eyes in disappointment, pursed her lips and said nothing. The thin bamboo in her hand was slightly deformed by her slightly tightened little hands.
"I don't have a pen." She lowered her head and her voice was muffled, small, delicate and soft, just like her.
Xie Fei's heart suddenly softened. Looking at her curled up in a small ball on the ground, he could lift her up with one hand. She was nearly five years old but looked like a dumpling less than three years old. He suddenly felt a little distressed.
After taking a deep look at her drooping little head, Xie Fei couldn't help but raise his hand and gently rub the top of her head, and said with a gentle smile: "Let's go, little mushroom."
The hand above her head was large and gentle, and she couldn't help but freeze. The next moment she came to her senses and wanted to dodge, but as soon as the thought flashed through her mind, her eyes became slightly moist.
She was reluctant to leave this warm feeling. As far as she could remember, she had only been hugged so gently by the director’s mother a few times when she was very young. Later, there were children younger and more spoiled than her in the orphanage. Since then, no one had been so gentle to her again.
A crystal teardrop fell on her face, gently dripped to the ground, and a small dark flower bloomed.
Xie Fei was stunned, and the hand that was rubbing her hair paused. After a while, he gently moved to her face, wiped away the tears bit by bit, and sighed, "Why are you crying? Do you want to drown the little mushroom?"
The little girl couldn't help but smiled with tears in her eyes. On her thin little face, the smile was not pretty, even a little ugly, but her eyes, which seemed to be filled with stars and curved like crescent moons, captured Xie Fei's attention almost instantly. The faintly visible dimple at the corner of her mouth made people feel sweet to the heart.
So cute.
Xie Fei's cold eyes were also tinged with a smile. He curved his lips and was about to speak when the little girl's soft and slightly reproachful voice rang out: "I'm not Little Mushroom, my name is Jiaru, Xu Jiaru."
His serious expression when he spoke made him look even cuter.
Xie Fei nodded, raised his eyebrows slightly and smiled: "But I like to call you Little Mushroom."
Xu Jiaru puffed up her face and stopped talking. Xie Fei reached out and poked her cheek, laughing quietly in his heart - haha, she is not big in stature, but has a big temper.
When she couldn't help but wave her fingers away, Xie Fei took his hand back one step ahead. He stood up, bent down, stretched out his hand to her, and said with a smile: "Let's go. If you don't go back, there will be no paper and pen."
Xu Jiaru raised her head slightly and looked at Xie Fei. He was standing in front of her against the light, his whole body emitting a jade-like glow, and his skin was so white that it was almost transparent, exactly like the angel in her dream.
He was wearing ridiculously beautiful clothes, just like the tuxedo a prince wears in a fairy tale.
His eyes were the most beautiful she had ever seen in her life, and at this moment, they were looking at her tenderly.
His black hair was as soft as the clouds in the sky, shining brightly in the sun, completely different from her dry and messy hair.
He was very tall, and even Xu Xiaosi, the tallest boy in the orphanage, had to look up to him.
His voice was very pleasant, and she wouldn't get bored even if she kept listening to him talk.
The smile on his face is very warm, and looking at him you can't help but smile along with him.
…
Xu Jiaru couldn't help but stretch out her hand and put it in his palm. She felt warmth in her palm and watched him slowly wrap her small hand. His palm was clean and delicate, forming a sharp contrast with her yellow and thin hands. She lowered her head in a bit of confusion.
Xie Fei led her back, and Xu Jiaru followed him closely, and soon they arrived at the gate of the courtyard.
The laughter of the children in the house could be heard from far away. Xie Fei and the others had heard it long ago. The closer they got to the door, the stiffer the little hands they held became. When they reached the steps, Xu Jiaru actually lowered her head and stopped moving.
Xie Fei glanced down at her. Xu Jiaru's small body stood there helplessly. Because she lowered her head, Xie Fei could not see her expression, but only the back of her head.
Turning sideways and touching her head with his other hand, Xie Fei said softly, "Let's not go in, let's just have someone pass the things out at the window, okay?"
Xu Jiaru looked up at him, her eyes a little red. She didn't answer, but just pursed her lips and nodded.
Coming to the window, Xu Jiaru was not even as tall as the windowsill, and her whole body was blocked by the wall. Xie Fei glanced at the group of children who were chattering around Li Ting, and a trace of sarcasm flashed across his cold eyes. He opened his mouth and ordered: "Secretary Li, get me a set of paper and pen."
Upon hearing this, Li Ting immediately said, "Yes." Then he stood up, took a set of paper and pen, and walked towards the window.
The children who were surrounding Li Ting and talking nonstop suddenly turned their heads to look over there, looking in shock at the boy outside the window who was not much older than them, and began to feel annoyed.
I actually pleased the wrong person. That boy was the real decision maker!
Xie Fei didn't even look at the children staring at him. He held a pen and paper in one hand and walked straight to the stone table under the banyan tree with Xu Jiaru in the other. He first carried Xu Jiaru to sit on a stool, then sat down next to her. While sharpening a pencil with a pencil sharpener, he whispered, "This pencil sharpener is very sharp. Be careful when you use it next time. OK?"
Xu Jiaru looked at his every move with some curiosity, and nodded obediently: "Yes."
"Here." Xie Fei handed her a pencil and held one to demonstrate to her, "Hold the pencil like me, follow me."
Xu Jiaru clumsily followed suit, trying two or three times before she was able to hold the pencil steady. She looked at it a few times with some surprise, then frowned at Xie Fei and whispered, "Hold it steady, is that right?"
Xie Fei nodded and said with a smile: "That's right, the little mushroom is really smart."
Xu Jiaru smiled shyly and happily, but said nothing.
Xie Fei opened the notebook and pushed it in front of her, then stood up and walked behind her. He put his arms around her from behind, one hand on the edge of the table, the other on her hand holding the pen, and whispered in her ear, "Come, I'll teach you how to write."
The sudden hug startled Xu Jiaru. Her back was stiff and straight. The air around her was filled with a pleasant smell. She didn't know what it was, but she could feel that it was sweet, just like the candy she had eaten a long time ago.
My hands involuntarily followed his rhythm, writing stroke by stroke on the notebook. It was not the crooked numbers I wrote myself, but the kind of beautiful handwriting that was indescribable.
Gradually, Xu Jiaru's body relaxed. She looked at the beautiful words on the notebook with bright eyes, and the smile on her lips grew bigger and bigger.
She heard his clear and pleasant voice ringing in her ears, very gentle: "This is Jiaru, this is Xie Fei."
"Jiaru..." Xu Jiaru gently touched the uneven characters on the notebook with her left hand and said slowly. After a pause, she touched the characters next to it and looked up at Xie Fei, "Xie Fei..."
"Well, you and me, Jiaru and Xie Fei." Xie Fei nodded with a smile.
Hearing this, Xu Jiaru curved her eyebrows and smiled sweetly: "It's really beautiful."
I don’t know whether she meant that the person was good-looking or the handwriting was beautiful, or both.
After Xie Fei helped Xu Jiaru practice for a while, he let her practice on her own. He sat beside her and gave her some pointers from time to time. At the beginning, as she was writing, her pen-holding posture changed into that of holding a thin bamboo stick. After being corrected several times, she gradually got used to it.
Before she knew it, she had written a whole article. Although it was not as good-looking as when Xie Fei taught her to write, it was much better than her previous twisted earthworm body. Xu Jiaru happily read it over and over again, swinging her legs in the air.
Xie Fei was infected by her and smiled happily. Looking at her smiling face, he hesitated for a moment and finally told her the purpose of this trip: "Little Mushroom, would you like to go home with Brother Fei?"
Xu Jiaru was startled, looking at Xie Fei in disbelief. Although she was only five years old, she was in an orphanage, so how could she not understand the meaning of this sentence? This meant that from now on she would have a home, with Brother Fei who loved and cared for her, beautiful clothes, and endless meals. She would not be hungry, would not be bullied, and would not often hide in her bed and cry quietly in the middle of the night...
But, can she really do it? There were so many people who came to adopt children in the past, and they all liked those children who were eloquent, loved to laugh, act coquettishly, and were cute and well-behaved. She was so withdrawn, didn't like to talk or act coquettishly, and couldn't act cute, so no one was willing to adopt her.
When she had given up and planned to stay in the orphanage forever, a man suddenly appeared and asked her to go home with him.
Home……
Xu Jiaru's big eyes were filled with hot tears, blurring her vision and Xie Fei's face. However, in her mind, Xie Fei's face became clearer and clearer. If... if she could go home with him, of course she would be willing.
She puffed up her cheeks and pursed her lips, saying in a muffled voice: "Okay..."
Seeing Xu Jiaru's silly and cute look, Xie Fei couldn't help but laughed softly. He stroked her hair and joked, "If you cry again, I won't want you anymore. I don't want a crying mushroom."
Hearing this, Xu Jiaru immediately stopped crying, and while trying to hold back her tears, she hiccuped and sobbed, "I won't cry anymore, I... I am a mushroom that loves to laugh."
As she spoke, she clenched her fists and wiped away her tears, gasping for breath and twitching the corners of her mouth, trying to lift them up, her expression was particularly adorable.
After trying several times, she finally showed an ugly smile. She excitedly stretched out her little hand and tightly grasped Xie Fei's sleeve, pointing at her own face and said in a baby voice: "Look, look, I'm smiling, you can't leave me."
That look of expectation and fear really melted Xie Fei's heart. He nodded affirmatively: "Well, this little mushroom smiles so beautifully. Brother Fei can't give up her even if he doesn't want anyone else."
As soon as he finished speaking, the next second, Xu Jiaru was seen grinning and crying and laughing, looking at him with a pair of bright eyes: "Brother Fei is the best brother."
"Okay, Brother Fei is going to discuss with the Dean's mother about taking you home. Do you want to go?" Xie Fei asked softly while wiping her tears.
Xu Jiaru shook her head, glanced at the children hiding at the door and peeping, and whispered: "I don't like them..."
"Okay." Xie Fei nodded, "Then you just stay here and practice calligraphy and wait for me, don't run around."
Xu Jiaru nodded her head obediently and agreed.
After giving a few simple instructions, Xie Fei got up and went to the house. As soon as he stepped in, everyone's eyes turned to him, especially the older children, whose eyes were so hot that it was frightening.
Xie Fei walked straight to his seat and sat down. He looked at Li Ting with cold eyes and said calmly, "Secretary Li, have you finished distributing the gifts?"
Li Ting nodded and replied, "Yes, Mr. Xie."
"Well, let's talk business now." Xie Fei nodded, turned to look at Dean Xu, and said, "Dean Xu, can you please ask the children to leave for a while? I have something to discuss with you."
Dean Xu was also a veteran. When she heard what Xie Fei wanted to talk about, she immediately ordered happily: "Xiao Si, take your brothers and sisters out to play. The Dean's mother has something important to discuss with the distinguished guest."
Xu Xiaosi responded obediently and led the other children out. When closing the door, he glanced at Xie Fei in what he thought was a covert move. He knew that the important matter the director mother was talking about must be about adopting children. He had experienced this at least ten times in the orphanage. The first, second and third children before him had all left, and he was the oldest one left in the entire orphanage.
He will be fifteen in a few months this year, and his nine-year compulsory education is almost over. His grades are not good, so this is almost his last chance. If he is not adopted, he will have to leave the orphanage and do odd jobs to support himself.
Although I performed well today, only Secretary Li noticed it. It seemed that President Xie went out early and met Xu Shiqi. Looking at how the two of them were getting along under the banyan tree just now, the atmosphere seemed quite good. In this way, wouldn't Xu Shiqi's chances be much greater?
No, absolutely not!
Xu Shiqi just turned five this year. She still has ten years to wait slowly, but she can’t wait any longer. She must think of a way.
As they were thinking this, the group had already returned to the bedroom. Xu Xiaosi sat on his bed, glanced quietly at the corner over there, and came up with an idea.
Over there, Xu Xiaoliu was leading his people to surround the group of people from the Cross Generation. He was holding a small bamboo basket in his right hand and shouting, "Be more self-disciplined and hand over all your gifts. We will return the rest to you."
The children of the Cross Generation huddled together tremblingly. The oldest, Xu Shisan, looked at the sneering people with a heavy face and asked in a deep voice, "It's not impossible for us to hand over our gifts. Each of us has chosen two or three things, and we keep the one we like best..."
Xu Xiaoliu smiled coldly and said directly: "Impossible, hand them all over to me, or don't blame me for having someone search them."
"No matter what it is, we usually scrape it away and leave nothing behind, and we often suffer from hunger and cold. Today, if you don't let us keep even one thing, we will never give you anything." Xu Shiliu, who was hiding behind Xu Shisan, gritted his teeth and said indignantly.
Unexpectedly, just as he finished speaking, Xu Xiaoliu grabbed his hair, pulled him out and threw him to the ground. Then Xu Xiaoqi and Xu Xiaoba each held one of his hands and stripped his clothes in two or three moves.
Xu Shisan watched the scene anxiously. He wanted to go forward to help, but as soon as he took his left foot, he was scared back by Xu Xiaoliu's cold eyes.
The children of the Cross Generation hid behind Xu Shisan and dared not say a word. They just watched Xu Shiliu struggle while being stripped naked and searched.
Xu Xiaoqi handed the looted items to Xu Xiaoliu, who took a look and put them in the basket. He raised his foot and kicked Xu Shiliu hard on the butt, then looked at the people in the corner and said, "Who else is dissatisfied? Come out."
A dozen children had pale faces and shook their heads. Xu Shisan sighed weakly and was the first to hand over his things. The other children followed suit reluctantly.
After Xu Xiaoliu finished searching, he led his children to walk towards Xu Xiaosi happily. When they got closer, they found that Xu Xiaosi was looking for something everywhere and had dismantled his bed and cabinets. Xu Xiaoliu asked in confusion, "Brother Xiaosi, what are you looking for?"
Xu Xiaosi said anxiously, "The Ruyi Jade Buddha that Dean's mother prayed for us is gone."
"What?!" Xu Xiaoliu said in shock.
This jade Buddha was obtained for them by the director's mother from the temple, and there is only one of it. Although it is not worth a fortune, it is very valuable to their orphanage. Moreover, the most important thing about this Ruyi Jade Buddha is not its value but its function. Xiaoyi, Xiaoer and Xiaosan were adopted because they wore this jade Buddha day and night even though they were so old. And now, such an important jade Buddha is missing. How can Xu Xiaoliu not be shocked and anxious?
Xu Xiaoliu immediately said with a bitter face: "Little Fourth Brother, you carry this Ruyi Jade Buddha with you day and night, how did you lose it?"
"Didn't I help the dean's mother with farm work yesterday? When I came back, I was all sweaty and couldn't help but take a shower. I fell asleep right after the shower. I got up early today and was in a hurry to cook, so I forgot about it. I just came back and lay on the bed and thought about it, and I found that the jade Buddha was missing." Xu Xiaosi explained in annoyance.
"That's what was lost in the house today. It must have been done by one of our own people." Xu Xiaoliu looked at the cross-generation children who dared to be angry but not to speak, and asked in a serious voice, "Little Fourth Brother, do you think it was them who did it, and their purpose was to retaliate against us?"
"They?" Xu Xiaosi frowned and asked, "They don't have the guts, do they?"
Xu Xiaoliu shook his head and whispered, "You can't judge a person by his appearance. As the saying goes, even a rabbit bites when it's angry. They are oppressed by us and suffer from hunger and cold all day long. I can't stand it either. Besides, another distinguished guest came today to adopt a child. Who knows, someone might be so bold as to want to take away your opportunity."
"What you said makes sense." Xu Xiaosi nodded.
"Well, let's search them one by one and see who..."
As he spoke, Xu Xiaoliu waved for others to come over. He was about to tell everyone to do something when, at this moment, Dean Xu came in with Xu Jiaru, Xie Fei and others.
"Please wait a moment, my dear guest. I will pack Seventeen's things right away." Dean Xu said with a smile, but he was not slow. He walked to Xu Jiaru's bed in no time and started packing.
Everyone in the room looked at this scene in amazement, and after a moment they realized that Xu Shiqi was adopted. For a moment, everyone felt mixed emotions. All of them had tried their best to please him today, but it was not as good as Xu Shiqi doing nothing. It turned out that when luck came, it was unstoppable.
As everyone was stunned, no one noticed the malicious smile that flashed across Xu Xiaosi's eyes.
Just as Dean Xu was packing Xu Jiaru's clothes, a jade Buddha fell from her clothes to the ground with a clang. Dean Xu was about to pick it up, but Xu Xiaosi, who had been paying attention to this place, picked it up first and exclaimed, "Isn't this the Ruyi Jade Buddha I lost?"
Hearing Xu Xiaosi's voice, Xu Xiaoliu also stepped forward to take a look and said, "It really is!"
As she spoke, she glanced at the clothes in Dean Xu's hand in confusion, and said hesitantly, "But how did it fall out of Xu Shiqi's clothes?"
After a pause, she continued, "Could it be that Xu Shiqi stole your Ruyi Jade Buddha?"
Dean Xu looked at the two of them in confusion and asked, "What are you talking about stealing or not? Why am I confused by what you said?"
Xu Xiaosi seemed to be a little embarrassed to glance at Xu Jiaru at the door, lowered his eyes and said reluctantly: "Dean mother, I couldn't find the Ruyi Jade Buddha you gave me before, and I didn't expect it to fall out of Shiqi's clothes..."
His voice was neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for everyone in the room to hear. Although he did not directly say that Xu Jiaru stole his jade Buddha, every word he said was expressing this meaning. In an instant, everyone in the room looked at Xu Jiaru with strange and contemptuous eyes, and whispered: "No wonder she was adopted today, it turns out that she stole the Ruyi Jade Buddha."
"I really can't believe she's this kind of person. She looks so well behaved, but it turns out she's actually a dirty person. Tsk tsk tsk tsk."
"It is this kind of person who is most likely to steal things because no one will suspect her at all."
"Yes, by the way, I lost a new yellow dress before, and she must have stolen it."
"When you mentioned it, I remembered that I seemed to have seen a yellow dress in her closet before..."
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